Rotatable shank, slidable inner jaw wrench



July 31, 1962 w. L. LEGRIS ROTATABLE SHANK, SLIDABLE INNER JAW WRENCH Filed Nov. 28, 1960 United States Patent 3,046,821 ROTATABLE SH 1. fiLDABLE INNER JAW WRENCH William Leo Legris, Renfrew, Ontario, Canada Filed Nov. 28, 1960, Ser. No. 71351 1 Claim. (Cl. 81-164) accurate and positive manner, and wherein the parts of the wrench are subject to easy manufacture, quick assembly, and ready individual replacement as required.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which FIGURE 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a wrench in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is a partial edge elevation,

FIGURE 3 is a section on line 3-3 of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a section on line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

In the drawing, 1 is a body member having a socket 2, which may be of rectangular cross section as shown, extending inwardly from one end thereof. The member -1 also has a screw-threaded bore 3 extending from the opposite end thereof and terminating at the bottom wall 4 of the socket. A screw-threaded rod 5 is mounted in the bore 3 with one end portion extending into the socket 2 and the other end portion projecting outwardly from the bore. Slidably mounted in the socket on the end of rod 5 is a shank'6 of complementary rectangular or square cross-section. Preferably, the shank is detachably connected to the rod as by means of an annular groove 7 providing a cylindrical head 8 on the rod, and a transversely extending undercut groove 9 in the end of the shank providing lips 10 for reception in groove 7. It will be apparent that, when the head 8 of the rod is out of the socket 2, the shank 6 may be readily mounted thereon or removed therefrom but that, when the head 8 is withdrawn into the socket with the shank thereon, a positive connection is efiected between rod and shank, such connection, however, permitting rotation of the rod relatively to the shank which is held against rotative movement by engagement with the walls of the socket. It will thus be apparent that rotation of the rod in either direction will impart corresponding slidable movement to the shank 6 in socket 2.

The shank 6 carries a jaw 11 on its outer end for slida-ble movement therewith. While jaw 11 may be mounted in fixed relation to the shank, preferably it is pivotally mounted thereon as by a pin '12 extending through a lug 13 on the jaw and mounting cars 14 on the end of the shank. The jaw 11 may have a serrated gripping surface 15.

Means for imparting rotative movement to the rod 5 comprises a sleeve 16 having an open end adapted to receive rod 5 and to fit over the end of body member 1. Rod 5 extends through sleeve 16 in spaced relation thereto and has a square or non-circular section 17 arranged to fit into a complementary opening 18 in a web 19 in the sleeve adjacent the outer end thereof. It will be apparent that the connection 17, 18 between rod and sleeve locks them together for simultaneous rotative movement. The sleeve is removably fixed in position on the rod by means of a nut 20 engaging a screw-threaded end portion 21 on the rod and fitting into a socket 22 in the end of the sleeve. To facilitate turning of the nut 20, a pair of diametrically opposite holes 23 may be provided therein. The outer surface of the sleeve 16 may be knurled as indicated at 24 for hand gripping engagement to impa rotation thereto and to the rod 5.

3,046,821 Ratented July 31, 1962 "ice A non-slidable or substantially fixedjaw 25 is provided, such jaw having a work-engaging surface 26 (which may be serrated as shown) in opposed relation to the surface 15 of jaw 11. The jaw 25 is corried by a shank 27 which, as shown, is mounted for quite limited pivotal movement on body member 1 by means of a pivot pin 28 which extends through the shank and opposed flanges 29 on the body member and between which the shank is positioned. A spring 30 seated in recesses 31 and 32 in the shank 27 and body member I normally holds the shank and jaw in fixed position relative to the body member.

The pivot pins 12 and 28 are in substantially parallel relation and extend in a direction substantially transversely of the gripping surfaces 15 and 26.

It will be apparent that the adjustment movement of the slidable jaw 11 and the subsequent gripping pressure exerted thereby on the article located between the jaws and on which work is to be performed will be imparted thereto through the rod 5 in a positive manner and by means of a direct force transmitted axially through the rod 5, shank 6 and jaw. 11. Thus, there is no opportunity for the development of binding or other stressesbetween the moving parts of the wrench. Furthermore, since the sleeve 16 is directly coupled to the rod for simultaneous rotative movement, and since the sleeve offers a very convenient and eifective manner of applying manual rotative force, such force may be of substantial degree with consequently increased gripping force applied by the jaws.

It will further be observed that the wrench described comprises a relatively small number of parts which, moreover, are capable of easy assembly with each other as well as convenient separation if desired. Thus, production is simplified and replacement of parts rendered possible.

I claim:

A wrench comprising a body member having a socket therein of non-circular cross section, a shank slidably and non-rotatively mounted in said socket, a first jaw carried by one end ofsaid shank for movement therewith, a. second jaw carried by said body member in opposed relation to said first jaw, and means for moving said first jaw towards and away from said second jaw comprising a rod screw-threadedly mounted in said body member and having an inner end portion extending into said socket, means coupling said inner end portion of said rod to said shank, and comprising a shoulder on said rod, and a pair of shoulders on said shank engaging said rod shoulder, and an outer end portion lying externally of said body member, and a manually rotatable sleeve sleeved upon said outer end portion of said rod in spaced relation thereto, said sleeve having an inner end rotatably mounted on said body member and an outer end, and means coupling said sleeve outer end to said rod for simultaneous rotative movement of said sleeve and rod comprising a web in said sleeve having an opening of non-circular cross- 1 section therein, said rod having a section of complementary non-circular cross-section extending through said opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

